Multimorbidity and Disability Among Venezuelan Migrants: A Population-Based Survey in Peru
- Details
- Category: Refugees and Migrants
- Publication Date: 2022
The political and economic crisis in Venezuela has originated an unprecedented migration. As of November 2020, 1.04 million Venezuelans have moved to Peru. Understanding their health profile is needed to identify their needs, provide care and secure resources without affecting the healthcare of nationals. We quantified the burden of multimorbidity and disability in the Venezuelan population in Peru. We analyzed the 2018 Survey of Venezuelan Population Living in Peru; population-based with random sampling survey in six cities in Peru. Participants were asked about the presence of 12 chronic conditions (self-reported); this information was grouped into 0, 1 and ≥ 2 conditions (i.e., multimorbidity). Disability was also ascertained with a self-reported questionnaire adapted from the short version of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. Socioeconomic variables were analyzed as potential determinants. Variables were described with frequencies and 95% confidence interval (95% CI), compared with Chi2 test, and association estimates were derived with a Poisson regression reporting prevalence ratio and 95% CI. Results accounted for the complex survey design. The analysis included 7554 migrants, mean age 31.8 (SD: 10.2), 46.6% were women, 31.7% migrated alone and 5.6% had refugee status. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 0.6% (95% CI 0.4–0.9%), and was often present in women (p < 0.001), people ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001) and those without recent job (p < 0.001). The prevalence of disability was 2.0% (95% CI 1.5–2.7%), and was common among people ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001) and those without recent job (p < 0.001). Migration alone and refugee status were not associated with multimorbidity or disability. The self-reported prevalence of multimorbidity and disability in Venezuelan migrants in Peru was low, and were not strongly influenced by migration status. While these results could suggest a healthy migrant effect, the healthcare system should be prepared to deliver acute and preventive care for these migrants, while also securing primary prevention to delay the onset of chronic conditions in this population.
Longitudinal health survey of women from Venezuela in Colombia (ELSA-VENCOL): First report
- Details
- Category: Refugees and Migrants
- Publication Date: March 30, 2023
We carried out a longitudinal cohort study of Venezuelan migrant women, 18 to 45 years, who entered Colombia with an irregular migration status. Study participants were recruited in Cúcuta and its metropolitan area. At baseline, we administered a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, migration history, health history, access to health services, sexual and reproductive health, practice of early detection of cervical cancer and breast cancer, food insecurity, and depressive symptoms. The women were again contacted by phone one month later, between March and July 2021, and a second questionnaire was applied. A total of 2,298 women were included in the baseline measurement and 56.4% could be contacted again at the one-month follow-up. At the baseline, 23.0% of the participants reported a self-perceived health problem or condition in the past month and 29.5% in the past 6 months, and 14.5% evaluated their health as fair or poor. A significant increase was found in the percentage of women who reported a self-perceived health problem during the past month (from 23.1% to 31.4%; p<0.01); as well as in the share who reported moderate, severe, or extreme difficulty working or performing daily chores (from 5.5% to 11.0%; p = 0.03) and who rated their health as fair (from 13.0% to 31.2%; p<0.01). Meanwhile, the percentage of women with depressive symptoms decreased from 80.5% to 71.2% (p<0.01).
Addressing the needs of refugees and migrants: an inclusive approach to Universal Health Coverage
- Details
- Category: Refugees and Migrants
- Publication Date: 1 March 2023
Safeguarding the health of refugees and migrants is a vital part of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Yet these groups often have poorer health outcomes and face multiple barriers to accessing health care. National health strategies, policies and programmes should identify and respond to the specific health needs of refugees and migrants, including the underlying determinants affecting these populations, in order to meet global targets. This requires health services to be fully accessible; be language and culture sensitive; and be able to monitor the health needs of refugees and migrants and evaluate the efficacy of interventions.
Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean: A Policy Review
- Details
- Category: Refugees and Migrants
- Publication Date: March 2023
Migration has long been part of Caribbean nations reality. Often discussed in the context of emigration to North America and Europe, movements to and within the Caribbean are an equally important part of its history. In recent decades, climate change, natural disasters, and shifts in global mobility patterns have reshaped the migration landscape in the Caribbean. This document, produced by the Inter-American Bank (IDB) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), presents a policy review on migration in nine Caribbean countries, outlining challenges and opportunities for the integration of the migrant population and a successful engagement with diasporas to advance the development of the region.
World report on the health of refugees and migrants
- Details
- Category: Refugees and Migrants
- Publication Date: 20 July 2022
Worldwide, more people are on the move now than ever before, yet many refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than the host populations. Addressing their health needs is, therefore, a global health priority and integral to the principle of the right to health for all. The key is to strengthen and maintain health systems by ensuring that they are refugee- and migrant-sensitive and inclusive. Health outcomes are influenced by a whole host of determinants. However, refugees and migrants face additional determinants such as precarious legal status; discrimination; social, cultural, linguistic, administrative and financial barriers; lack of information about health entitlements; low health literacy; and fear of detention and deportation. This groundbreaking publication outlines current and future opportunities and challenges and provides several strategies to improve the health and well-being of refugees and migrants. It is an advocacy tool for national and international policy-makers involved in health and migration. Evidence on the health of refugees and migrants remains fragmented – comparable data across countries and over time are urgently needed to track progress towards the health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With only 8 years until the 2030 target date to transform our world, the time to act is now.
- A comparative analysis of health status of international migrants and local population in Chile: a population-based, cross-sectional analysis from a social determinants of health perspective
- Mixed Migration Review 2022 - Alternative ideas and solutions for contemporary mixed migration challenges
- Caribbean Immigrants in the United States
- MIGRATION AND HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS: A Need and Service Assessment 2021-2023
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